Best Hiris by Hermès Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

Originally created at the Jermyn Street shop by Mr John Floris in the early 1800s. Devoted wearers of the fragrance have included Florence Nightingale, and Lord Admiral Nelson is reported to have bought Floris White Rose for his mistress, Lady Hamilton.

White Rose is a classic take on a classic theme. This perfume is quite stately in its introvert elegance. Carnations meet a bouquet of other flowers and in the powdery mist of orris it's not quite possible to tell the fresh roses from spicy carnations.

In 1912, Houbigant's perfumer Robert Bienaimé picked up the ball from Paul Parquet (who earlier invented the whole fougere category while working for Houbigant at the end of the 18th century) and introduced Quelques Fleurs, one of Houbigant’s all-time great fragrances and the first multi-floral bouquet ever created.

The current owners of Houbigant take the heritage and history of the house very seriously and try to adapt the famous formulas from the 18th and 19th centuries to the 21st century's tastes and technologies while keeping the character and old-school flair as close as possible to the originals.

You might have read about Quelques Fleurs in books on perfume and the guides on the greatest perfumes of all time.

The current reincarnation is an adaptation of the original formula to modern times taste and it benefits from modern advances in perfume making.

Meet the 21st century Quelques Fleurs, a gorgeous romantic floral with a big history and an infinite number of floral facets.

Orris butter, distilled from the root of the bearded iris, is one of the most expensive perfume materials in the world. Vanille des Afriques Intensivo harnesses its unique qualities – leather-adjacent with powdery undertones of violet and pepper – in a luxurious composition that is the very essence of stealth wealth. Jasmine, amber and Madagascan vanilla cushions the iris for the full pampered effect.

Matilde Bonaparte, niece of Napoleon I, was known for her breasts (“le plus beau décolleté”) and her talent as a painter. She also hosted a celebrated 19th-century Parisian salon attended by the greatest artists and writers of her time. This namesake perfume is an olfactory salon of provocative white florals (ylang-ylang, narcissus, jasmine) given tropical succulence with passion fruit and papaya. Mathilde’s heady brightness is softened by iris and sandalwood.

Mint and rose are a dynamic duo, and here we have aromatic shiso putting pep in the step of voluptuous rose. There’s a pleasing friction between the combination of musky French centrifolia and syrupy Turkish roses, and shiso’s savory green. Iris, sandalwood and cedar are the wooden trellis upon which Rose Shiso climbs.

Perfumer: Tomoo Inaba

Rich and gothic Moth starts with a heavy dose of dark spices to jolt your senses before settling into a dusting of honey-sweet rose and powdery florals. Slowly, it tests its wings, taking flight on an exotic journey of nagarmotha, guaiac wood and patchouli. Beneath it all lingers a smoky undertone that serves as a constant reminder to fluttering creatures of the danger in the tantalizing flame.

Opening with sparkling notes of lime and mandarin tempered with pink pepper and a green accord, delicate cherry blossom with soft almond aromas enhanced with powdery violets and creamy vanilla. Elusive elegance, realising the power of subtlety, radiating an inner confidence - to be worn with an innate love of understated good taste.

Inspired by a rummage through antique shops, this extrait de parfum conjures precious woods, well-worn leather and rare spices. A full and comfortingly rounded blend on a bed of the softest musk and smoothest oud.

Perfumer: Serge de Oliveira

Terram captures the Mediterranean embrace of autumn. The path winding up from the beach is silent. Sweet aromatic notes of dry soil and clifftop pines float in the air. A haze of ambery benzoin and dusty patchouli settles over musk. Warm, woody, still — this is a fragrant mood that comforts and lulls.